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Movie theater etiquette

Posted on February 13th, 2006 by Josh.
Categories: movies.

So I finally went and saw King Kong tonight. Pretty good movie, and I enjoyed it - despite other theater goers…

To start, we had Sneezy McGonnageteverybodyelsesickerson up in the corner sneezing and blowing his nose at a rate of 4 kleenex boxes per movie.. I mean, come on - you’re sick. You know it. Don’t go into an enclosed room with a bunch of other people.

Next, we had the little kid behind us who wouldn’t shut up. Let’s get this straight, though. I wasn’t mad at the kid. It’s probably not his fault that he has no idea what it means to be a considerate person with at least some sense of self control. No, it’s his parents’ fault. No matter how many times we would look back towards them or shake our heads in disgust, they would half-assedly attempt to shush their noisy kid, or try to reason with him as to why he should be quiet. When they’re doing this once every twenty seconds, don’t you think they would get the hint that their kid isn’t going to shut up no matter what? It’s at that point where you realize that you’re being rude as all hell, you pick your kid up, and you carry him out to the car, and if you plan to come back to the theater anytime in the near future - you get a babysitter first!

And speaking of kids, this one happened a couple months ago. Have you ever been watching a movie when someone decides it’s okay to check their phone for a text message? How annoying is that shining light coming from their phone when they do that? Well, it’s about 10 times as bad when it’s a kid sitting there with his Game Boy in the middle of a movie. What parent seriously pays at least $6 for their kid to come into a movie, and then let him play his Game Boy instead of watching that movie - thereby wasting their money and annoying anybody behind them?

I seem to be ranting about things that annoy me a lot lately. Too much negativity, I’ll put this sort of thing on hold.. at least for a little bit. Happier post next time. Promise.

0 comments.

You can’t take the sky from me

Posted on December 17th, 2005 by Josh.
Categories: movies, tv.

Just finished Serenity. Awesome end (?) to an awesome story. If you like that kind of stuff, you’ve probably already seen it, so there’s no reason for me to plug it.

Saw The 40 Year Old Virgin last night. It was all right. Definitely some pretty funny parts - but I have the same complaint as I did for The Girl Next Door: TOO LONG.

Tonight is the bachelor party for my boy, Tom.

We once had a bachelor party for Tom Dietrich. He ate the entire cake, before we could tell him there was a stripper in it!

To Tom Dietrich!

2 comments.

Have you ever

Posted on October 19th, 2005 by Josh.
Categories: movies, random.

..eaten so much that you start to limp?

We just got back from Sweet Tomatoes, and I think the amount of food I took in is having that effect on me.

I’m too tired from all the digesting to think straight. Wait, Batman Begins came out on DVD today.. and I don’t own it yet.

What am I doing with my life??

3 comments.

Up up down down left right left right…

Posted on September 21st, 2005 by Josh.
Categories: games, movies.

I just finished watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.. and it was amazing. It was released last week in Japan, and nerds across the world now have access thanks to the internet.

The graphics are breathtaking. Being able to see all those old Playstation characters with modern computer graphics is awesome.

The story was kind of hard to follow at times, because the subtitles are not official, and certainly not a perfect translation. But really, that’s my only gripe.

A definite must buy when it comes out stateside in November. (suck on that, MPAA)

Watching it made me think back to how great a game Final Fantasy VII was. Then I got to thinking about other games that have had a big impact on me as a gamer. So I’m going to just give a quick rundown of my picks for “Best. Games. Ever.”

In no particular order (it’s hard to compare the greats):

Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation, 1998)
It single-handedly convinced me that I wanted a PlayStation. I was a junior high dork with loyalties to Nintendo spanning back to the original NES. But then I watched my friend Brian play it a few times at his house, and I was hooked. This game had it all: amazing graphics, great gameplay, addictive mini-games, and an intriguing storyline filled with drama and action.

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64, 1998)
Link made the jump from 2-D sidescrolling and overhead maps to 3-D immersive gameplay in a big way. Who’d have thought solving all of those dungeon puzzles would be so fun? More like.. who didn’t?

Earthbound (Super Nintendo, 1995)
The adventures of Ness, Paula, et al. was my first real experience with a role playing game. Wandering through a world with strange creatures (enemies ranged from dogs to mole-men to aliens to the mayor, or even just the neighborhood bully) was one of the greatest things I could ever imagine at the time. I played through this game time after time, despite nothing different happening each time in the story. There was just so much to do, and so much to see, that I would forget about things every now and then, or even discover little random things I never noticed. Can you finish the name of this Beatles song? ___terday. -> Yes -> No

Star Tropics (NES, 1990)
Some kid named Mike ran around C-Island attacking giant octopi and making friends with the island people. That’s about all I remember about this game’s plot. I also remember having a primary weapon of a yo-yo. Genius! One time, I was playing this game, and I made it pretty far.. and then the power went out. I didn’t save for a couple hours. I learned an imporant lesson in gaming: save as often as you can (ranking in Metal Gear Solid’s online site be damned! ..which brings me to my next entry)

Metal Gear Solid 2 (PlayStation 2, 2001)
MGS had already redefined action gameplay, and I expected no different in its sequel. Above all else, I was amazed by this game’s graphics. As were the dozens of people who’d filter in and out of my dorm room to watch me play for hours on any given afternoon between classes. The only downside to the game was its ending, which dragged on and on and on, and starting going off about political subjects.. and it was just lame.

Halo (Xbox, 2001)
Maybe I’m an easy sale, but just as it took one game to convince me to get a PlayStation - it took just one to convince me to buy an Xbox complete with four controllers. Another game where the graphics amazed and the storyline kept you hooked. I played the campaign both by myself and with a friend numerous times. Not to mention the uber addictive multiplayer mode (which only got better in its second incarnation with online play). Hail to the Master Chief!

SimCity (NES, 1989)
I like building things. I like video games. As a creative child looking for a challenge, I found it in SimCity. I loved building a huge metropolis that would take up the entire square-shaped map.. to the point where my city would prosper for centuries, and I’d eventually get that coveted Mario statue monument. If only I could come up with a good solution to managing taxes and preventing brownouts… I never could stop those things from impeding my progress.

Tetris (Game Boy, 1989)
I don’t think I need any explanation. This is the most addictive puzzle game ever. Moreso than Snood (though Snood is a worthy contender).

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1990)
At the end of third grade, I broke my elbow jump-kicking one of my neighbors in the front yard of my house. No, really. We liked to play ninja, and I just landed on the wrong part of the lawn - a nice had piece of plastic called a sprinkler head. Broke my elbow good - to the point where I had surgery to put pins in it to hold the pieces together and it was in a plaster cast all summer. All was well, however - because my mom took me to the Navy Exchange and bought me one of the most coveted games of the time. It certainly wasn’t my first battle against Koopa and all those stinking Goombas.. but it was the best one ever. Recently, I found a link online to a guy who could beat the game in ten minutes. I can’t do that, but I could probably do it in an hour. Well, if I wasn’t so out of practice. Hey.. remember the infinite lives castle on World 7? Anybody? I figured that one out all by myself.

I think that concludes my list. So, what do you think? Any glaring omissions? What would you put on your list? This is a cue for you to leave comments.. so do it!

4 comments.

Sky rockets in flight, afternoon delight..

Posted on July 23rd, 2005 by Josh.
Categories: movies.

This packet of crushed red pepper from Papa John’s says “crushed red pepper treated with radiation.” Is that normal? I don’t get it.

If anyone has any insight about this, I’d appreciate it.

And also.. why have I never watched Good Will Hunting until just now? Great fucking film.

5 comments.

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